Treatment of hydrocarbons



I and thereafter treated Patented May 1, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE: 7*

WILHELK HESS, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

TREATMENT or R Drawing, Application filed September 7,

This invention relates to processes of treating hydrocarbons in which hydrocarbons are subjected to the action of a liquid sulhur dioxide and it comprises the process in which the hydrocarbons to be treated are first contacted with gaseous sulphur dioxide with-liquid sulphur dioxide.

M invention relates to an improvement of the deleanu process (see,-for example, U. S. Patent 911,553). The Edeleanu process is concerned with the refining of mineral oil hydrocarbons with liquid sulphur dioxide.

e process is-carried out in such a manner that the mineral oil hydrocarbons are mixed with liquid sulphur dioxide, the aromatic and unsaturated hydrocarbons being dissolved in the liquid sulphur dioxide, whereas the aliphatic and saturated hydrocarbons remain undissolved in the sulphur dioxide. When carrying out this process, there are small losses of, sulphur dioxide partly throu h incidental slight leakages in the clos apparatus and partly owing to the fact that the oils treated with the sulphur dioxide contain fractions of ercentage of sul hur dioxide when leaving t e apparatus.

the process above referred to, which represents the present day practice, it is customary to make up the sulphur dioxide? losses by the addition of small quantities of liquid sulphur dioxide. This constitutes an economic disadvantage by virtue of the fact that liquid sulphur dioxide is more expensive than gaseous sulphur dioxide and further constitutes a practical disadvantage by virtue of the fact that more sulphur dioxide must be li uefied than that actually 'put to use to puri the oil.

It is therefore an object of this invention to devise a process which overcomes the disadvantage of using liquid sulphur dioxide to make up the losses occurring as above set forth. 1

I have found that it is unnecessary. to make up the losses of 1i uid sulphur dioxide providing I reliminari y treat the oil with gaseous sulp ur dioxide until the oil has substantially absorbed about 1/ or less; based on the weight of Oil.

Thereafter, when subjecting the so treated oil to the ac- HYDBOCABBONS.

1928, Serial No. 134,184, and in Germany September 25, 1825.

tion of liquid sulphur dioxide, losses of liquid sulphur dioxide The oils, treatment virtually no are observed. which are to be subjected to the wit-h sulphur dioxide are allowed to trickle over a tower filled with Raschi rings or with any other suitable filling an distributing material or provided with suitable insertlons, at the lower end of which tower the combustion gases from a sulphur or iron p'yrites kiln enter and flow in the opposite direction to the liquid. Kerosene, as well as gas oil and lubricating oil distillates readily absorb 5% dioxide from the combustion gases, the lower the temperature, the more of the sulphur di0xide gas will be absorbed. Since however the losses in sulphur dioxide, if the Edeleanu process is carefully carried out, scarcely amount to 70 but are in most cases very much less, there is no doubt that, even in cases where very-high temperatures have to be contended with, that amount of suland more sulphur phur dioxide will be absorbed which is afterwards lost process. 5

According to the invention therefore, when a plant is set into operation, the quantity of liquid sulphur dioxide which is required for treating the oil need be but supplied once, which occur are made good in the manner described above. The source from which to SO gases are obtained, does not affect the inventionand the manner in which it is carried out, the characteristic feature be- .ing the fact that the absorption capacity of the petroleum hydrocarbons with respect to SO gases is made use of in order thereby to avoid the costs and losses, which necessarily occur with liquefaction. The purer are the gases, which are used for absorption the easier it is to carryout the new recess which culminates in the use of com ustion gases of sulphur in oxy n.

Having now particu arly described and ascertained the nature of in said invention and in what manner it is to e performed, I

declare that What I claim is Y 1. The process of treating hydrocarbons which comprises preliminarily treating the again in the working up hydrocarbons with gaseous sulphur dioxide and thereaiter subjecting the ydrocarbons to the action of liquid sulphur dioxide. I

' 2. The process of treating hydrocarbons 5 which comprises passing the hydrocarbons in counter-current relation .to a stream of sulphur dioxide gas until the hydrocarbons have absorbed about sulphur dioxide, and thereafter subjecting the so treated hydrocarbons to the action of liquid sulphur dioxide.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. LM HESS. 

